Dysentery

Soldier suffering from dysentery, image of 1929

Dysentery is a infection of the intestines that causes severe bloody diarrhea. It is caused by a bacterium, which causes the intestines to swell up. The opposite of dysentry is enteritis (diarrhea with no blood).

Dysentery
Other names	Bloody diarrhea
Medical specialty	Infectious disease
Symptoms	Bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever
Complications	Dehydration
Duration	Less than a week
Causes	Usually Shigella or Entamoeba histolytica
Risk factors	Contamination of food and water with feces due to poor sanitation
Diagnostic method	Based on symptoms, Stool test
Prevention	Hand washing, food safety
Treatment	Drinking sufficient fluids, antibiotics (severe cases)
Frequency	Occurs often in many parts of the world
Deaths	1.1 million a year

The main symptom of dysentery is having blood or mucus in the excrement. Other symptoms are high temperature (fever), feeling sick or being sick, and abdominal pain (stomach cramps). It is usually treated with antibiotics if it does not resolve on its own. The diarrhea is severe and can be a problem for the people who catch the disease. Dysentery can be fatal as it can cause severe dehydration.

Types of dysentery

There are 2 main types of dysentery:

• bacillary dysentery or shigellosis, which is caused by shigella bacteria; this is the most common type of dysentery in the UK
• amoebic dysentery or amoebiasis, which is caused by an amoeba (single celled parasite) called Entamoeba histolytica, which is mainly found in tropical areas

Shigella results in about 165 million cases of diarrhea and 1.1 million deaths a year with nearly all cases in the developing world. In areas with poor sanitation nearly half of cases of diarrhea are due to Entamoeba histolytica. Entamoeba histolytica affects millions of people and results in more than 55,000 deaths a year. It commonly occurs in less developed areas of Central and South America, Africa, and Asia. Dysentery has been described at least since the time of Hippocrates.

Spread and prevention

Dysentery is highly infectious and can be passed from person to person if the right precautions are not taken, such as properly and regularly washing your hands. These include using soap and water. Hand washing after going to the toilet and before preparing food, and not preparing food for other people while symptoms are present stops the spread. Helping children learn how to wash their hands properly is helpful. Washing clothes, bedding and towels in a washing machine or hot water keeps them clean from germs. Sick people staying away from others others while they are showing symptoms will stop the spread of the cause, as well as not having sexual intercourse while sick. Not going swimming is a good idea to not infect other people.

Children with dysentry should be kept home away from school and adults should stay away from work until the infection clears. Staying until at least 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea, to reduce the risk of passing the infection on to others.

Treatment

As dysentery usually gets better on its own after 3 to 7 days, treatment is not usually needed.

However, it's important to drink plenty of fluids and use oral rehydration solutions if necessary to avoid dehydration.

Painkillers such as paracetamol, can help relieve pain and a fever. Avoid anti-diarrhoea medicines, such as loperamide, because they can make things worse when taken alone.

See also

• Enteritis
• Vomiting